


We Might as Well be Strangers

by noblydonedonnanoble



Series: It's Only Natural [3]
Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-02
Updated: 2012-05-02
Packaged: 2017-11-04 17:11:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/396213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/noblydonedonnanoble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He sees her from afar, once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Might as Well be Strangers

     He sees her from afar, once. They're both going to the same movie premiere, and when she first appears on his radar he almost instinctively strolls up to her to say hello. And then he remembers. He remembers the way she looked at him when they said goodbye. He remembers the things she said and hates the way he automatically pulls away--literally stepping back a few feet.

     She looks beautiful, she even looks happy. She doesn't see him, or at least she doesn't see him seeing her.

     That whole evening, he's aware of her presence. He tries to keep his eyes elsewhere, but she's such an irresistably magnetic force. She's pulling him and with each tug he gives in some, eyes straying in her direction because it's quite the view.

     He wonders how she is, if the cheerful smile she gives to the world is entirely genuine. Probably not. She goes to plenty of movies but it's mostly for show; she hates the crowds, hates having to feign familiarity.

     And he wonders if she misses him, if she ever thinks about him. Maybe she thinks about him. But no, she doesn't miss him. She made it fairly clear that she wouldn't miss him, that she didn't want him in her life.

     He thinks about her, of course. He has trouble not thinking about her under normal circumstances, and when sitting in the same thetre, he can sincerely think of nothing else. The movie flies by him, and none of it registers because he's too busy paying attention to her anyway.

     Even though they said goodbye fairly recently, it already feels to him like eons. This is, surely, long enough that they could engage in polite conversation. They're grown adults, after all, and in any case she's so brilliant at that "feigning familiarity" that she should at least be able to pretend that she feels civil toward him. And that's what he needs, really--just a few moments for her to even just _pretend_ she doesn't mind his company.

     He almost goes up to her, as the film ends. He knows exactly the party that she'll go to, and he could ask if she just wants to share a cab. It would surely be an uncomfortable ride, but at this point he doesn't care much about comfort, he cares about being in the same car as her for ten minutes and he cares about a few words that they can exchange.

     He almost does it.

     Really, he does.

     And then he sees someone else following her out of the theatre, catching up and putting his hand on her back and standing just a _little_ too close. Not quite enough for the paparazzi to write articles of their secret love affair, but enough to say, "Back off, she's mine" to anyone else who might be watching closely enough to consider taking her.

     He starts only going to films if he knows she would despise them.

     She's a distraction he doesn't need in his life.

     If she comes into his life again, he doesn't think he'll be able to let her go for anything.


End file.
